


Justice For Bo

by Goobergobbledoc



Series: Nickname [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Akaashi’s Parents, Angst with a Happy Ending, Coming Out, Cute, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Love Confessions, Meet-Cute, Mention of Homophobic People, Minor Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Mrs Sawamura | Daichi's Mother, Mutual Pining, Past Relationship(s), Reader-Insert, Romantic Comedy, Self-Insert, Sequel, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:15:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24879055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goobergobbledoc/pseuds/Goobergobbledoc
Summary: Continuation to 'Pictures of Us'.Bokuto deserves a chance to find his happily ever after.Bokuto Koutarou is a Police Officer for the Tokyo Metro Police Department and is returning from a holiday overseas when he meets Y/N on the plane. In classic Bo fashion, he falls for her immediately.Does Bokuto have a chance with her, or has she already been claimed by someone else?Another 'Friends to Lovers' slow burn.The 'Y/N' in this story is nicknamed Meeko.Bambi is now just referred to as 'Bambi'.I don't own the Haikyuu characters but the plot and the idea of this story was written by me!-Goobergobbledoc
Relationships: Bokuto Koutarou/Reader
Series: Nickname [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800190
Comments: 35
Kudos: 28





	1. Back to the Meet Cute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N gets on a plane to move to Tokyo. Bokuto is there too!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DID IT GUYS!  
> I MADE THIS A LIL SERIES!! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و
> 
> The beginnings are always the hardest to write. But much like the pervious fic, this one has been planned out and mostly written. I’ll release the chapters as I polish them off.
> 
> Please note, reader in this fic is not Bambi from the previous story. I hope that isn't too confusing. This is a new reader-insert but with a continuing storyline.  
> Hope that makes sense! ｛・ω-*}
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this story!!!  
> （☆∀☆）

Chapter One: Back to the Meet Cute.

Planes are not Y/N’s favourite thing on the planet. In fact, she mentioned a few times to her boss that she hated flying, and that she _‘better get a first class ticket’_ if he wanted her to transfer to the sister publishing company in Tokyo. Instead, her boss told her to _‘get over it’_ and that planes are _‘perfectly safe to travel with’_ ; missing her point entirely. 

Putting aside Y/N’s distain for flying, she agreed to the transfer because it was a big promotion and she already knew Japanese, she’d just never been able to go to Japan before.

Y/N wasn’t concerned with the plane going down, or anything like that, but she was _very_ concerned with the lack of oxygen in a confined space during a long international flight. The only flights that she had experienced before, were domestic and with very little foot room. The seats in front of her were so tall and close, that she couldn’t see the space in front of her; another physical block that contributed to the mentality of _‘not enough space’_ and _‘not enough oxygen’_ ; claustrophobia.

This is why Y/N decided to start drinking before her plane boarded. She needed a little buzz, along with her _‘Soothing Rainstorm Soundtrack’,_ to help her get through the highly anxiety provoking activity that is, boarding a plane and coming to terms with the lack of space that she will have for the next long while.

“Hey, hey, hey! We’re seat buddies!” A tall, white-grey spikey haired man, waltzed into the row of the plane, where Y/N was seated, and energetically introduced himself. He appeared to be at least 6’3” in height and Y/N guessed him to be roughly her age. She noticed that he was able to effortlessly put his overhead baggage away, before he checked his ticket and took his assigned seat in the middle of the row, to the right of Y/N who had taken the window seat. “I’m Koutarou Bokuto! Good to meet you!” He flashed a bright toothy grin and pushed the sleeve of his blue hoodie up his muscular forearm, before offering his hand out to shake and greet his ‘seat buddy’. 

Y/N understood his fast paced words, and recognised the language on his hoodie, which said something about ‘The Wisdom of the Ace’. However, her brain had become a little foggy and slow from the alcohol, so her reaction time to his greeting, was bordering on rude.

In thinking that Y/N’s hesitation was due to her lack understanding Japanese, he switched to a rough English, and waved his hands about in apology. “Sorry, I shouldn’t assume that you speak Japanese just because we’re flying to Tokyo. My bad!”

“No, I do. Sorry, you just surprised me. Hello Bokuto, I’m Y/N. Good to meet you.” She waved off his unwarranted apology and shook his much larger hand while she appraised his handsome face. His eyes were golden to the point of being almost shiny, and his spikey mane added to his overall character. If he meant for his hair to look like it had exploded with white and grey streaks on purpose, then he succeeded. After knowing Bokuto for all of thirty seconds, she could tell that his hair suited his explosive personality well. Although, his appearance reminded her of something that she couldn’t quite put her finger on; maybe a type of animal, but in an attractive and muscular kind of way. His large hoodie and sweatpants couldn’t hide that fact.

“Oh cool! You do speak Japanese. You can call me Bo!” 

Y/N couldn’t help but think that she’s heard that name before, but maybe she’s thinking of that anime about the guy named _‘Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo,’_ who uses his long nasal hair to fight crime. 

“So, what you headed to Japan for?” In the moment that Bokuto had finished his sentence, the third person of their row arrived, and sat down in the aisle seat with a big sigh. Bokuto’s attention wavered for a short while, when he nodded in greeting to the old woman who had completed their row. The woman nodded in return with a smile that wrinkled her face, and then proceeded to chat up Bokuto. If Y/N hadn’t known better, it looked like the woman was _flirting_ with the younger man.

“What a handsome young man. Built so well. I bet you could lift this old lady easily with all those muscles.”

_Okay, so she IS flirting with Bo._

Obviously flattered by the old woman’s words, Bokuto’s grin turned into a shining smile which shouldn’t go anywhere near the cockpit, for fear of blinding the pilot. “Grandma, I bet you’re light as a feather,” he quipped back with a cheeky wink. 

This caused the old woman to laugh and pat Bokuto on the arm in a way that dismissed his flattery, while appreciating it at the same time.

Bokuto turned his attention back to Y/N, with the same beaming smile, and held his head a little taller from the confidence boost. “Aren’t I lucky to be seated in a row with two beautiful ladies. Don’t fight over me okay,” he added a wink at the end, directed towards Y/N.

“Don’t make your girlfriend jealous, young man. I’d steal you away in one of my pacemaker-heartbeats, but she is absolutely stunning. You shouldn’t let her get away.”

The flattered man tilted his head back a slightly to laugh, while Y/N instinctively blushed from the comment. She mentally berated her own fortune for being assigned a row with two of the biggest flirts she had ever met. She wasn’t used to getting such attention.

“No, no, Grandma. We just met. Sadly, I am a bachelor,” he said while putting his hand over his ‘aching’ heart for dramatic effect.

The old woman seemed a little too pleased at that fact and then leaned forward in her seat to direct her next prompt at Y/N. “And you, my dear?”

 _The old girl is a flirt AND a busy body. Super…_ Y/N sarcastically thought.

“Well, I’m not a bachelor in the conventional sense, but I do have a bachelor’s degree in publishing.” This was Y/N’s way of giving just enough information to the strangers to tide their curious appetite, without delving in to her relationship status. She’ll let them interpret her statement however they wanted.

“Isn’t that lovely! What do you do, handsome?”

“Oh, I’m a police officer from the Tokyo Metro Police Department.” Bokuto was obviously very proud of that fact, as he spoke with confidence.

The old woman laughed. “Outstanding. We’ll both be safe in your strong arms then. I’m going to rest now and let you two kids get to know each other a little better. But please wake me when the attendant comes around for tea. It may be summer in Japan, but this country has me needing to warm my old bones.” The beginning of her statement was riddled with suggestive undertone, insinuating that the two should start up some romantic relationship right there on the plane, which didn’t go un noticed by Y/N. But by the time the woman had finished speaking, her topic had shifted to a more appropriate subject matter for strangers. Y/N got the feeling that this old woman was well versed in the art of being a mischief maker or snoop. 

So, the older woman leaned back and closed her eyes to rest them, while the plane finished it’s boarding procedure.

Y/N squinted sceptically at the old woman for a moment, thinking that she was just pretending to go to sleep as a ploy to listen to their conversation. She just had that vibe about her. Probably due to her mischievous smirk.  
 _What a tricky woman._

Y/N turned her attention back to the seat in front of her, took a deep breath in and tried to clear her anxious mind. _‘There’s plenty of oxygen to go around and this space is big enough to breath’,_ became her mantra for the next little while. 

She adjusted the air conditioning to blow directly on to her face, which gave her the feeling that she had extra oxygen. The air flow was a little relieving, but she soon forgot all about it all and became anxious again. So she pulled a packet of strawberry Pocky out of her pocket and began to nervously eat.

“Hey, how did you get Pocky? I didn’t think they sold it here?” It seemed like Bokuto was looking for an excuse to resume their conversation, but he was still bubbly nonetheless.

Thankful for a distraction, Y/N offered out a pocky to the eager man and he took one with an enthusiastic ‘thanks’. 

“I found some at the grocery store. It was in the international section, but it was just a normal store.”

“Amazing!” He basically inhaled the treat and she offered him another.

“Yeah I was amazed too. I’d be happy to move to Japan just for the Pocky variety.”

“What’s your favourite?”

“Strawberry. But not the plain one like this. I’m talking about the one with strawberry chunks.”

He laughed at her. “That’s pretty good but have you tried the mint choc one?”

“Bleghhh!” she poked her tongue out in disgust. “Okay, sorry. But mint is reserved for toothpaste and gum. It’s ludicrous to me, that mint is put into chocolate. Like how did that even happen?!”

“Someone probably tried to brush their teeth while they ate chocolate and thought, ‘damn that’s tasty’. And they were right. It’s pretty damn good.”

“Okay, maybe we can’t be friends,” Y/N laughed.

“What! No fair!” Bokuto knew she was joking but pouted anyway.

“I’m kidding! I’m kidding! But I do have some more pocky flavours in my bag. If you want to creep past grandma and get my bag for me...” Y/N turned her statement into a request as she pressed her hands together in a silent plea and flashed a cheeky smile.

His only reply was a cheshire grin. The plane hadn’t moved from the gate yet, so he unbuckled his seatbelt and used his long legs to climb past the old woman. He opened up the overhead baggage compartment and asked, “Which one is yours?” 

“The blue stripy backpack.”

The tall man reached up to grab her bag, and in doing so, his hoodie lifted up slightly to reveal the lines of where abdominal muscles descended into his sweatpants.

Y/N witnessed the eyes of the old women flutter open and close for a moment, and her lips turn into a restrained smile.  
 _Old bag is a pervert, as well as a flirt._

Bokuto passed the bag over to Y/N, who quickly rustled though it and pulled out a few boxes of pocky. She then passed it back to Bokuto, who returned it to the overhead compartment.

Once the bag was stowed away, Bokuto carefully shuffled past the old woman once more. However, she shuffled around in her seat at the exact moment Bokuto was trying to get past, and she brushed against his _pants._

Bokuto let out a little squeak and took his seat quickly. He then leaned over and whispered to Y/N, “Oh my god. I might have to arrest that woman when we get to Japan.”

“Did she…” Y/N motioned to his crotch area with a dip of her head. When Bokuto slowly nodded back, confirming Y/N’s suspicion, her mouth fell open in shock. “Oh my god! No! Switch seats with me,” she suggested as she rose to switch seats with the man in an attempt to protect him from further groping.

Bokuto tugged at Y/N’s right arm to seat her back down and said “Oh no, that’s okay really. I can handle her.” He then raises his voice a little more, so the old woman who is fake-sleeping can hear. “If she does it again, I can arrest her for assault.”

Y/N, who was still thankful for the distraction from her claustrophobic thoughts, continued the conversation with the handsome officer as they shared different flavours of Pocky. She told the taller man about her transfer to the Tokyo branch of her publishing company, and her promotion to ‘Developmental Editor of Fiction’. 

It only briefly crossed her mind, that the giant man next to her might be adding to her feeling of claustrophobia; but she was able to forget about it entirely. The sense of wellbeing that was overcoming her, was either due to the effect of the drinks she had while waiting for the large Boeing 777 to board, or due to the enigmatic energy that the man seemed to emit. Perhaps both.

Bokuto was captivating in both his movements and expressions, and his words seemed to energize Y/N to the point of tricking her into cheeriness rather than anxiety.   
_Oh shit, now I know what he reminds me of. A horned owl!_  
She found herself smiling brightly at the man as he spoke. Bokuto talked about how he graduated from the Tokyo Police Academy over a year ago with a bunch of his friends, about his current job as an officer, and about how he _LOVES_ barbecued meat. 

Bokuto spoke _A LOT,_ and he didn’t appear to have any sort of filter, which probably went hand in hand with his childlike personality. Not childlike in a way than made him childish, but more in the way that children were playful and energetic. 

Bokuto told her the story about his spontaneous holiday overseas to visit his old friend from high school, who had just gotten engaged and asked him to be best man, and then his continuation of the trip to see as many volleyball tournaments as he could. That’s where Y/N learned about Bokuto’s intense love for volleyball.

“Do you still play volleyball?”

“Nah,” he said with a regretful expression. “I stopped after I graduated university. I was there on a volleyball scholarship, so my grades weren’t exactly top priority for me. But when I started at the academy, I really needed to focus.”

“That’s a shame you stopped. Though, I have to say, you must have been pretty good at volleyball to get a scholarship. That’s a big deal right?”

Bokuto’s expression flipped from Y/N’s praise. “Well, not to brag, but I used to be one of the top three aces in the country,” he bragged.

“Ohhh, hence the ‘Wisdom of the Ace’ quote,” she used air quotations when she spoke. 

He looked confused. “Eh? How do you know about that?”

“Your hoodie,” she giggled and then pointed, drawing Bokuto’s golden eyes to the quote he had lived by since he found his first ace-related apparel back in his school years. He had outgrown the original shirt a while ago, so he ended up buying the same thing but in a hoodie version. 

Over the next hour or more, their conversation only dropped only a couple of times. Once, when the flight attendants did their spiel about flight safety, and the other when they came around to take drink orders. 

By that point, Bokuto gently woke the pervy old woman next to him. He was amazed how she ‘slept’ through the take-off, the safety demonstration and even the crying baby a few rows behind them.

When the flight attendant took their orders, Y/N requested one of the available alcoholic beverages, and Bokuto did the same. It was clear to him that Y/N had been nervous during boarding and at the beginning of the flight. He had done his best to distract her from her thoughts and he was delighted that she didn’t seem annoyed by his constant conversation. She even seemed to appreciate it.

“You seem more relaxed now. Do you not like to fly?” Bokuto asked out of the blue as they finished their drinks.

Y/N widened her eyes in silent surprise. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up. I didn’t want to say anything about it before, because it probably would have just made you think about it even more. I just meant that you seemed less anxious now that we are in the air. I’m really sorry if that upset you.” 

Bokuto really didn’t want to upset Y/N, he just sometimes forgot to filter his thoughts. He’d actually grown quite fond of her, and not just because she was funny and offered him snacks. He thought she was an extraordinarily beautiful woman from the moment he saw her, and he couldn’t get over his terrific luck that he was seated next to her, even if he had a weird grandma on his left.

“Oh, no Bokuto. It’s fine, really,” she reassured him. “You’re right actually. I don’t like flying, but not because I think it’s dangerous or anything. I just… I don’t like small spaces.”

“Umm, well I hate to tell you, but Japan is kind of full of…” _Damn my big mouth! That’s not a helpful comment,_ he cut off his own sentence and scolded himself.

“Oh no, that’s okay too. It’s less about how small the space is and more about how much oxygen I think I have. I just have this thing about running out of air. So windows that open are saviour. I could never be an astronaut.” Y/N laughed nervously. “I know, it’s a weird take on having a fear of planes.” 

“Well, I guess its valid. Because we’re in a space without windo….” Bokuto cleared his throat to cut off his poor choice of words once more. He didn’t want to make Y/N feel worse about her claustrophobia and yet he kept saying things that might be triggering for her. Though, she seemed to be taking it all pretty well. “Well, you’re safe and there are oxygen masks everywhere. You can even have mine if you need it.” His flashed his winning smile to show his sincerity, and gave her a thumbs up in accompaniment to his offer.

“Thanks Bo.” Y/N’s giggle sounded like music to his ears, and the use of his nickname had him practically glowing with joy. “I think I would have my own oxygen, but the gesture is appreciated. I feel a lot better now, actually. You know, for someone who seems to have a lot of energy, you’re strangely calming. You’re like a big, tall ray of sunshine aren’t you. You’re energetic like the sun, but one where cats could just sleep in the sunbeams. Sorry, that probably doesn’t make sense. I’ll blame it on my drink.” She giggled again.

She didn’t see Bokuto bite his lip and blush from her sweet comment. He covered it up by turning to the old woman to watch her sipping tea and eaves dropping on their conversation, while trying to act candid. Somehow the young couple sitting to her left had become her main source of entertainment during the flight, as opposed to normal plane activities, like reading a book or watching a movie.

Bokuto considered for a moment that Y/N’s appreciation for his zestful personality, may have just been because it helped distract her from her own anxieties. When in actuality, she was truly just happy to be in his cheerful presence. She was responsive to all his jokes and tales of the past, and actually seemed to be impressed in a few instances. He didn’t remember the last time he felt so connected to a person that he had just met... Except he did remember… and that person was Bambi.

On his first day of the police academy he had met a girl who’d been given the nickname Bambi, because she was clumsy on her feet. He felt a strong connection with her, yet his good friend Daichi had been the one to meet her first. Their love story was one that could be written about in fanfiction. In fact, he had recently found out that Daichi and Bambi had moved in together. Bokuto was very happy for his friends and after a small period of jealousy, before they even got together, he had gotten over Bambi completely and moved on with his life. 

Bokuto was overjoyed that, this time, he met someone he liked in a scenario where his friends couldn’t possibly have gotten to her first. 

Unfortunately, he hadn’t been very successful with women in the past, even before Bambi came along. Normally he would make a conscious effort to try and reel-in his personality, since he had been told multiple times that he was _‘a lot’_ or _‘too much to handle’._ He was well aware of the ‘exhausting’ affect he had on some people and he tried to play it cool before he revealed that side of himself. He knew it was a shame to have to do that, but otherwise he would never get to go on dates.

His friend Kuroo, who was known for teasing Bokuto about being ‘extra’, told him that, what he had been doing was stupid, and that if he wasn’t himself from the start, then there was no way he would be able to find the right girl. All his friends knew that he could be childish, playful and a bit loud, but they still love an accepted him regardless. That is why, with Kuroo’s voice in his head, he took Y/N’s words regarding his sunshine-like demeanour, to heart. It wasn’t often that he met someone new, who didn’t subtly dis his vibrant, loud and animated personality. 

Y/N hadn’t commented that he was extra or excessive even once. And to make Bokuto’s heart strain even more, she said that he was calming. He wasn’t sure whether she was just as weird as him for thinking that he was a calming person, or if she had just had too much to drink. Either way, he was pretty sure he was already in love.

In an attempt to ease his emotions, because he’s fully aware that he has the tendency to fall for people he has just met, he asked if Y/N would like to watch a movie with him. So they searched through the available movies and chose the Disney classic, Pocahontas.

Bokuto laughed pretty hard at the scene where the raccoon stole all of Johns biscuits, because Y/N said flatly, “relatable.”  
Her comment seemed pretty on brand for her, because she was also a hoarder of treats; if the amount of Pocky she was packing was anything to go by.

At some point in their ten-hour flight, Y/N had fallen asleep against the window. Up until then, they had been discussing the movie, but Bokuto stopped receiving replies to his self-proclaimed witty comments. He turned to look at his new female friend and admired her beautiful sleeping face. He wished he was as brave as his friend Sugawara, who would take candid shots of his friends in love. Suga’s photos actually kindled the relationship between Daichi and Bambi, which he was sure to not let anyone forget.   
Bokuto wanted a relationship like theirs. He wanted to take a picture of Y/N and start a cute photo collection of the relationship that he hoped he could start with her, but that would be _insane._ One could justly hope that a relationship might develop with a woman they just met on a plane, but to be super confident in that fact and then take a picture of the woman, would be creepy. Something that would be more in the wheelhouse of the guys he arrested.

So he kept his wishes at bay and let her sleep, sneaking glances here and there. When Pocahontas finished, he started a new movie to pass the time. The old woman next to him was sleeping as well… he thinks. It was hard for Bokuto to get a read on her. Was she a pervert? Was she just flirty and didn’t know she was being creepy? Was she just trying to be friendly and help set up the young couple sat next to her? He really wasn’t sure.

About half way though the new movie, Y/N shifted in her seat and her head fell on Bokuto’s upper arm. He was happy, surprised and nervous from the contact, all at the same time. She was too short for her head to reach his shoulder, which would be more comfortable, so Bokuto shuffled down his seat a little and let her rest her head, while he finished the movie.

With the new comfortable position, it didn’t take long for him to fall asleep as well, especially after traveling for so long.

When the old woman awoke to see the sleeping couple, she asked the flight attendant for a blanket, which she then draped over the pair.

Next Chapter: The Wedding Expo.


	2. The Wedding Expo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bokuto talks to Kuroo about his dream girl before he meets up with Akaashi at the wedding expo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so sorry that this chapter took so long to publish. Explanation at the end.

Chapter Two: The Wedding Expo.

Bokuto, being the ball of sunshine that he is, has a lot of close friends and is lucky enough to have two people in his life that he considers to be his best friend. Keiji Akaashi and Tetsurou Kuroo, both of which he met during high school, thanks to volleyball. 

Akaashi was in the year below Bokuto at Fukurōdani Academy, and he had grown into the role of vice-captain and starting setter by his second year. Since Bokuto was the team’s ace, he spent a lot of time practicing with Akaashi’s sets and despite their contrasting personalities, the duo built up a friendship outside volleyball. Although slightly younger, Akaashi behaved more mature than his playful owlish friend. He always had a calm and composed nature, differing greatly from Bokuto, who wore his heart on his sleeve. 

Kuroo didn’t go to the same school, but he is the same age as Bokuto and also lived Tokyo. So the three of them met frequently at volleyball camps and tournaments. Even though Bokuto and Kuroo were rivals in volleyball, they struck up a bromance and became great friends that spanned into adulthood. When they graduated the Tokyo Police Academy together, they were recruited by the same police station, which was amazing considering the large number of police stations in the city. This meant that they saw each other every day at work, and on their days off, they would often hang out.

Bokuto has what people might call a ‘polarizing personality’, but for the number of people who are put off by his endless enthusiasm and energy, there were just as many who loved his wonderful free spirit. This included his best friends, though he wasn’t immune to their teasing.

As Bokuto rushed to the next commitment of his first Saturday morning off since he returned from his holiday overseas, he reflected on the conversation he just had with Kuroo. The pair had gone out for an early morning run to commemorate Bokuto’s safe return home and the beginning of autumn. Bokuto recounted the events surrounding his return to Tokyo, to his perpetually bed-headed friend, and gushed a lot about the ‘dream girl’ he met on the plane. 

Bokuto had every intention of asking for Y/N’s contact information so that he could see her again and hopefully take her on a tour of the city, but before he could, duty called. The perverted old crone, who had been sitting next to him throughout the flight to Tokyo, collapsed after exiting the plane. Luckily Bokuto was there to assist in her aid, but due to the large crowd of spectators, he was separated from Y/N and was unable to find her after the incident. 

The only silver lining that Bokuto could see from that unfortunate situation, was that he didn’t have to administer CPR to the old woman; much to her dismay. She was conscious enough to cheekily ask for ‘mouth to mouth’ from Bokuto, as the emergency team took her away. 

During their run, Kuroo did his best to console his friend over his romantic loss, however he was quick to remind Bokuto that his ‘dream girl’ was still a basically a total stranger. Since he has known Bokuto for so long, he’s well aware of Bokuto’s ability to get attached quickly and has seen his friend declare _‘love at first sight’_ a couple of times. Kuroo was more of a _‘grow into the love’_ kind of guy, as that’s what happened with his long-term boyfriend Kenma, who had also been a part of their friendship group since high school. So, the main counselling that Kuroo could offer, was to convince Bokuto that, if he was meant to end up with that girl, then they would meet again. Referring to fate was the best he could do to help his hopelessly emotional friend, pick himself up and carry on. 

Due to the lengthy discussion throughout his morning exercise, Bokuto had to text his other best friend that he was running a little late for their meet up. He had been invited to join Akaashi at the Tokyo Wedding Expo, since he agreed to be best man in the wedding. Akaashi had lived the last few years overseas for work and returned home a couple of weeks before Bokuto, so they hadn’t had much of a chance to catch up. Bokuto was especially excited to meet his best friends English-speaking fiancé, who was unfortunately unavailable when he had visited during his holiday.

By the time Bokuto made it to his destination, he was about half an hour late. As he crossed the busy road towards the large convention centre, he spotted his friend amongst the crowd. The man with black messy hair and expressionless features was waiting alone in front of the ticket booth.

“Hey, hey, hey! Akaashi! You didn’t have to wait for me out front! That’s so sweet of you,” Bokuto teased as he engulfed his old friend in a big, yet one-sided, hug.

“You’re late.”

“Ahh come onnnn! You’re not going to hug me back! I haven’t seen you since you asked me to be best man. And before that, I hadn’t seen you for like three years! I’m your best friend. Didn’t you miss me?!” Bokuto withdrew from the hug under the pretence of offense.

Ignoring his friend’s usual dramatic flair, Akaashi flatly suggested, “Let’s head to the bar before my parents get there and ruin everything. Were supposed to be meeting them soon, so we better hurry. I don’t want to deal with them without at least a few drinks in me.”

“Oh come on. They can’t be that bad, you’re getting married! Plus, I’m here to charm them for you.”

“Yes, they are that bad, and you couldn’t charm a bracelet if you were a jeweller,” Akaashi insisted, then insulted. His face never really showed much emotion and his tone didn’t to fluctuate much. Blue eyes behind black frames, never betraying his sarcasm. He was pretty quick witted with satire, so that the he could criticize the stupid things that people say and do, especially when Bokuto was involved. “I’m sure my parents would have something to say about you being best man too, so be prepared. They’ll probably say something about the concept being too western, and then they will ramble on and on about how I was over there too long and became influenced.”

“Well, you can blame it on me if you like. Tell them that, as your best friend since high school, I _INSIST_ on being a part of the wedding… Actually, no. Don’t. I want them to like me.” Bokuto chuckled goofily and bobbed his head. “So, when am I gunna meet the girl? I thought you said she would be here.”

Akaashi led Bokuto inside the venue as he continued their discussion “She’s waiting at the bar. I hope we get to her before my parents do. They weren’t exactly _friendly_ to her when they first met and I’m sure she’d rather not be alone with them if she can help it.”

“Then why are they so insistent on you getting married, if they don’t like her?”

“Because they just want me married, full stop.”

Mr and Mrs Akaashi had only met their son’s betrothed briefly over skype. They were strict and serious people, who obsessed over their son’s relationships. In fact, Akaashi’s parents had been the ones to pressure him into proposing to his girlfriend of two years. They were so adamant about their son getting married and moving back to Japan to give them lots and lots of grandchildren, that they didn’t care who he married, as long as he did it soon. Of course Akaashi loved and cared for his fiancé, but he did wish that he was able to go about things on his own terms.

“Damn it,” muttered Akaashi. They had made it to the bar, but unfortunately Akaashi’s parents beat them to it. They were seated at a small table to the left, accompanied by a young, timid looking woman with dark shoulder length hair and a pink dress that hung loosely off her bony frame. The trio appeared to be looking over a checklist while waiting for the rest of their party to arrive.

Akaashi greeted his parents in a formal manner and Bokuto followed suit, while trying his best to charm them with his cheeriness. He had only met his best friends parents a handful of times since high school, however, Mr and Mrs Akaashi seemed to remember Bokuto clearly, and didn’t look too pleased that he was invited. Much like their son, they showed limited facial expressions, except theirs were less neutral and more along the lines of a permanent scowl.

They leered at Bokuto’s greeting with silent disproval, and just as one of them opened their mouths, to complain no doubt, Akaashi stopped them. He waved a hand towards his disgruntled parents and warned them. “Don’t start. He’s staying.” 

It was a good thing that Bokuto was warned about their snotty attitude towards his involvement in the wedding, otherwise he might have been more offended. 

The spikey haired man did his best to embody a patient person as he waited for Akaashi to finish hugging the still nameless woman, who had accompanied Mr and Mrs Grumpy Pants, so that he could be introduced next. 

Normally Bokuto would’ve expected that a couple, who had very recently become engaged, to be a bit more affectionate with one another, but that’s just how Akaashi has always been. His friend hadn’t had many girlfriends over the years, and when he did, they always kept it PG when around other people. So their short hug was pretty on brand for his reserved friend.

Akaashi then turned his attention to Bokuto. “Bo, this is Ichika. She is…”

Ignoring the rest of Akaashi’s introduction, due to the inability to restrain himself, Bokuto bounced over to the small woman and gave her a tight hug, which seemed to scare the living daylights out of her. “Hey, hey, hey! It’s good to finally meet you!” 

“Bokuto!” Akaashi scolded. “Calm down and get off her.”

“Oh. I’m sorry!” He removed himself from the hug and gave a little bow in apology to the frightened Ichika. “Hello! I’m Koutarou Bokuto. Best man! I’m looking forward to getting to know you and helping out with the wedding as much as I can! I’m Akaashi’s bestie, so if you need anything, just ask.”

“Thank you, Bokuto. Your assistance would be appreciated.” Ichika felt the disapproving gaze from Mr and Mrs Akaashi, before she even saw it. So she quickly amended her statement by adding, “…though I’m sure we can handle the planning. We already have a lot of wonderful ideas and are very fond of tradition.”

Bokuto noticed the nervousness in Ichika’s body language and voice, then shifted his golden eyes towards the cause of said nervousness, picking up on the resentful vibes coming off of Mr and Mrs Akaashi.   
_This is going to be a long day,_ Bokuto thought to himself.

He then watched, as the groom shifted his attention towards the bar and took stock of the surrounding crowd, before directing a question at his parents. 

“Where is…” They cut him off, finally breaking their uncomfortable silence.

“Keiji. May we speak with you… privately.” They glared at Bokuto, communicating their point with as much distain in their expression as they both could muster. 

Bokuto smiled and clapped his hands, staying cheerful and trying to not let the old couple bring him down. “Okay. I’ll go look for some snacks or something. I’m sure they have food around here somewhere. Ichika, can I get you anything?” 

She sheepishly shook her head in reply. So Bokuto waved farewell to the group before he gave Akaashi a supportive clap on the back and asked his friend to text him when they are ready to start _‘hitting up the booths’._

Free to breathe and away from the tension, Bokuto explored the wedding showcase. The convention centre had been arranged in a colourful maze of booths and stalls, each operated by wedding related businesses. 

Once he stumbled upon the food related segment of the event, he made a b-line for the table on the far wall that had some unattended food samples. He thought he’d be more likely to get away with having more than one sample, if no one was there to judge him. 

However, as he moved closer, he observed a feminine arm reach up from under the cloth covered table, feel around the surface and then retreat while balancing a small tray of food. Bokuto watched as the tray discretely disappeared under the flowing white tablecloth, which then fell back into its original position as the fabric barely skimmed the ground, like nothing had happened. 

Amused by the unusual sight, Bokuto smirked and made his way over, so he could witness the person brave enough to take a whole tray of samples for themselves amid the chaotic atmosphere that is a wedding expo. Lifting up the skirt of the tablecloth, he peeked under.

“Y/N?!” Bokuto was thoroughly shocked to see a familiar face. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about his ‘perfect girl’ since they met. Considering that Bokuto didn’t think he would ever see her again, he was insanely surprised to find her hiding under a table, with a slightly red face, running mascara and clutching on to a platter of half eaten food samples. “What are you doing here? And under a table?” he asked softly as he swapped out his confused expression for a comforting smile. He was ecstatic to see her again, but concern washed over him pretty quickly when he registered the situation.

“Bokuto?” Y/N mumbled with a mouth full of food. She swallowed deeply and continued to stare at him in shock. 

“Can I come in?” He requested, motioning to the empty space under the table to her right. 

After Y/N nodded in agreement, Bokuto looked around to make sure no one was watching, moved onto his hands and knees, then crawled under the tablecloth to sit by her side with his back against the wall. He had to duck his head a little because of his height, but the white table cloth allowed enough light to filter thorough the fabric, so the space in front of him was easily visible.

“Y/N, are you okay? Or should I say _Meeko_.” He added to his question with a cheeky grin.

“What? Did you just call me Meeko… Like the racoon from Pocahontas?”

“Well, yeah. Because you’re eating all the food and…” he tapped his own under eye area to indicate to Y/N, that her’s was covered with what was likely non-waterproof mascara.

“Oh god. I look like a racoon now don’t I?!” She sobbed and frantically rubbed her under eye area.

“But a very cute racoon. They’re nature’s bandits. Which fits because you just stole my food, and it is my duty to stop you.” He goofily laughed at his own joke, which seemed to lift Y/N’s spirits enough to stop her tears. 

Y/N sniffled and then joked back with a sarcastic, “sorry officer,” before she passed the tray over to the giggling man, who held a genuine smile.

“No, it’s okay Meeko. I won’t arrest you,” he laughed goofily again. His golden eyes analysed the low-spirited woman beside him and as he switched to a more serious but gentle tone. “Do you want to talk about what’s wrong? I might be able to help.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m just being oversensitive,” she waved him off and sighed. “But thank you. I really appreciate it. Plus, oh my gosh, I can’t believe I ran into you. Here of all places! Under a table!”

“I KNOW RIGHT!” Bokuto’s laugh was probably the thing that brightened Y/N’s attitude the most. It was a little dopy but contagious, and when paired with his shining smile, who wouldn’t be at least a little cheered up?

“How have you been? Oh, and have some of the food samples. They’re pretty good. There’s some karaage and vegetables. No barbeque beef though, sorry.”

Bokuto puffed out a short laugh at Y/N’s feeble excuse to brush off his concern, and then popped a piece of the chicken into his mouth. “Meeko…,” he spoke with his food not quite finished yet. “… that’s what I’m going to call you from now on by the way. You’ve been crying and hiding under a table, while eating a whole plate of samples. You don’t have to be a cop to see that something must be wrong. What happened?”

Y/N’s lip quivered and Bokuto could tell she was tossing up whether to talk about her problems or not. She then muttered, “I didn’t eat the _whole_ plate.”

_She is just too precious for this world,_ Bokuto thought in the moment is heart skipped a beat from her cuteness. He held back his amusement and tried to focus on helping her get whatever was upsetting her off her chest. “I’ll listen to whatever you want to tell me. I know we don’t know each other that well, but at least we have nicknames now. If I can help, or even if you just want to talk…”

“You’re a really nice guy, you know that Bo,” she sniffled and tried to put on a smile, which ended up being lopsided and sheepish in nature.

Bokuto took Y/N’s right hand, that was clenched in her lap, and held it in both of his own warm ones. “You know, whatever it is, I’m sure everything will work out okay.” He rubbed her knuckles and gave her a soft understanding smile. “Are you here with a group of people? Did you want me to find them for you, because as a _brilliant_ police officer, I can help you out with that one.” He added a light-hearted joke to make the weight on Y/N’s shoulders feel a little less heavy.

Bokuto had always been good with people who were in distress, much like how he was with Y/N when they first met on the plane. Being an emotional guy himself, meant that he was able to recognise emotions in others. It’s a part of the reason why he became a cop. He wanted to help people and he was good at it. He wasn’t conventionally ‘book smart’, especially when it came to mathematics, but he had enough sense to tell when something was wrong or when someone needed comfort.

He used his free hand to wipe the remaining tears off Y/N’s cheek, but he got covered in mascara which he then wiped on to his pants.

Y/N giggled at Bokuto’s nonchalant attitude towards the condition his pants, and then took a deep breath to sooth her anxieties. She wiped the rest of her tears away and then turned to face Bokuto. “Okay. I’m ready to go back out there, but I need to fix my face.”

“Okay. I mean your face is beautiful regardless, but I’ll help you look for a bathroom. Let’s go.” Bokuto crawled out of from under the table first, along with the tray of food, and then offered his hand to help Y/N stand, ignoring the shocked gasps from the few people who witnessed their sudden appearance. “You know, I thought you didn’t like small spaces?”

“I don’t. But it was better in there than out here. I didn’t know people could be so cutthroat while being passive aggressive. Plus, all I needed to do to get some fresh air, was to move the tablecloth aside like a curtain.” Bokuto smiled at her wholesome explanation and admired her ability to stay strong when someone had obviously been picking on her. He made a mental note to have stern words with whoever made Y/N sad. He believed that they must be pretty evil to upset someone so sweet and innocent.

Y/N excused herself to go to the bathroom so that she could try and make her face look less puffy and messy with mascara. Bokuto finished off the samples from the tray he was still holding, and waited patiently for her to return. Patience was always a hard thing for Bokuto to master when growing up, but his job had shaped him well.

When Y/N came back, she had a refreshed face and a determined demeanour. She took a deep breath in preparation for what was next. “Okay. I think my group is still by the bar.”

“Great! I’ll escort you there. I know the way.”

So they set off to the bar, walking closely side by side until Bokuto spotted his own group of people. Wanting to introduce his ‘dream girl’ to his best friend, he gently took hold of Y/N’s hand and guided her towards the group of people, who appeared to have calmed down in Bokuto’s absence.

“AKAASHHIIII!!!!!” He let go of Y/N’s hand to slap his friend on the back to get his attention, as if screaming out his name wasn’t enough. “Look who I found!” He hadn’t been able to tell Akaashi about Y/N yet, but he was about to.

Bokuto turned back around to motion towards Y/N, but became confused by her stunned expression. Her mouth was agape and her wide eyes darted back and forth between the two tall men in front of her. 

Akaashi frowned faintly, brushed past his excitable owl-like friend and walked up to Y/N to stroked her face carefully. “Have you been crying? Are you okay? Damn it, what did my parents say?” 

Bokuto watched, speechless, as his best friend’s hand moved down from Y/N’s cheek, to rest on her shoulder. Akaashi stroked her upper arm comfortingly, while he looked into her glossy eyes, awaiting her answer.

Akaashi wasn’t the most comforting person on the planet, but he tried his best. He had never been particularly tender-hearted, and he found it difficult to dish out praise and affection. However, he had a very pragmatic mind and was always ready to fix any problems for the people he cared about. So what he lacked in ability to verbally validate feelings or physically console, he made up for in effort and determination to fix things. Although, not everyone was as easy to cheer up as Bokuto, and Akaashi attributed that to his friend’s ‘simple mind’.

“Wait… I don’t get it… How do you guys know each other?” Bokuto stammered in confusion.   
_And how did Akaashi meet Meeko before me, and why is she comfortable with him touching her like that._

Y/N, still silent from her surprise, looked between the men once more, and then glanced over to Akaashi’s parents, who had been the cause for Y/N’s unhappiness. She had previously excused herself from the upsetting conversation, full of judgement and ridicule, and told them she was going to the bathroom; when really, she was crying under a table and stuffing her face with food samples.

Mr and Mrs Akaashi treated her like crap, particularly when her fiancé wasn’t around, and they constantly pulled rank on her when it came to making any decisions about her own wedding. They would tell her that she doesn’t understand things properly and that she better let them handle things, lest she disrespect everyone and their traditions. Y/N didn’t want to start off on a bad note with her future in-laws and she definitely didn’t want to embarrass her fiancé, so she just let them do whatever they wanted and suffered in silence. 

“This is my fiancé, Y/N. I’ve been trying to introduce you guys for a while.”

“W..what? I thought this was your fiancé!” Bokuto pointed to the woman Akaashi had hugged when they first reached the bar. Ichika had hugged him in return, so he assumed the nervous bony woman was the fiancé. It wasn’t like Akaashi just went around hugging random girls. He wasn’t that affectionate of a guy.

“No. That’s my cousin and our wedding planner. I’m pretty sure you met her when you stayed at my house one summer. Remember? You borrowed money off her and dropped a whole watermelon on her foot.” Akaashi tried to jog his friend’s memory. “Anyway, my parents are making us hire Ichika as our wedding planner because they don’t trust us with the wedding.” He flashed his parents a small glare before turning his attention to Ichika and adding, “No offence to you though, Ichika. I’m sure you’re very good at your job.”

Ichika bowed slightly in response to Akaashi’s offhanded compliment.

“So... Meeko, I mean Y/N… is your fiancé…?” Bokuto asked one more time for clarification. He didn’t want to get it wrong again. He was pretty shocked because Y/N hadn’t ever mentioned that she was engaged.

“Yes, she is. Wait, how do you know her?” 

“I met her on the plane home to Tokyo. We were seated together with some crazy old woman.”

Akaashi sighed. “You both forgot each other’s names didn’t you. You’re as bad as each other. Well, it’s a small world I guess. Though it’s funny you met on the plane, because you weren’t able to meet beforehand.” Akaashi had travelled to Tokyo ahead of Y/N by a couple of weeks, to get their accommodation and a few other things sorted, so he wasn’t able to join them on their flight. Not that he knew Bokuto was on the same flight regardless.

Finally finding her voice, Y/N asked, “So… Keiji was the friend you went to visit before you went traveling around to watch volleyball tournaments.” She was still piecing together how it was possible that Bokuto, the charming guy she met on the plane, was the best man in her wedding.

Bokuto nodded at Y/N’s question. He mentally chided himself for not noticing the engagement ring before. In hind sight, the ring should have been clear as day. It was basically blinding Bokuto now that he knew it was there. Even though he’d been on her right side the whole plane ride, he still should have noticed it, or even checked that she had a ring at all. He shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions and assumed that Y/N liked him in return, just because she was being nice. This is exactly why Kuroo continuously warns him about getting attached to people he barely knows.  
 _I don’t know why I didn’t figure this all out sooner. I’m a terrible cop._

The wedding planner, Ichika, then butted in to the conversation shortly after Y/N’s question, and dissolved the awkwardness by informing the group of an upcoming appointment with one of the businesses in the expo. So each of them set aside the unexpected turn of events, and moved along at Ichika’s request.

Next Chapter: Bokuto’s Birthday Barbeque.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so sorry that this chapter took so long. F**k this chapter. It made me have some kind of existential life crisis over present vs past tenses. I genuinely don’t know what the heck I’m doing with writing and am rethinking my whole life! How can I think about a career in writing/ editing, if I can’t even wrap my head around all the different types of past and present tenses? Who knew there was more than on type of present tense? NOT ME!  
> (ﾉ｀□´)ﾉ⌒┻━┻ *flips table*  
> I always thought I got bad grades in English because I’m slightly dyslexic and my anxiety stopped me from being able to write timed essay, not because I actually suck at writing.
> 
> I just like coming up with stories and being creative. Damn you, English language. Damn youuuu *Shakes fist at the world.  
> My mind has been blown and I need to calm down! :O
> 
> Breathes deeply….  
> Okay, next chapter is a fun one!”


	3. Bokuto’s Birthday Barbecue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bokuto’s Birthday Barbecue. Meat eating competition with friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being patient with this chapter everyone! I took a little break but I’m back! Wooo!! This was the chapter that broke my brain before I abandoned it half finished, so I’m happy that it’s finally done!!  
> (๑°⌓°๑)

Chapter Three: Bokuto’s Birthday Barbecue 

“So how did you guys meet again?”

“At work. We were in different departments, but we worked in the same building,” explained Akaashi, with none of the romantic flair that would normally have been infused into a story about how one would describe their meet cute with their beloved fiancé.

They say hindsight is 20/20. Bokuto’s mind went into introspective overdrive, putting together bits and pieces of evidence that should have made him realise the situation much sooner. His head was in the clouds for most of the wedding expo and he spent a lot of time on his phone texting Kuroo about the unfortunate turn of events. Luckily for him, he wasn’t actually needed to participated in anything at the wedding expo, considering Mr and Mrs Akaashi had aggressively taken over the whole thing.

Bokuto: _So you know how you said that if I saw my dream girl again, then we were meant to be together..._

Kuroo: _YOU DIDN’T! (⊙ᗜ⊙)_

Bokuto: _Yep…_  
Bokuto: _I found her at the wedding expo._

Kuroo: _Fuck yeah! What was she doing there? I though you said she worked with books or something._

Bokuto: _(ಥ﹏ಥ)_  
Bokuto: _She’s Akaashi’s fiancé!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

Kuroo: _NOOOOO (꒪ȏ꒪)_  
Kuroo: _You never said she was engaged!_

Bokuto: _I DIDN’T KNOW!_  
Bokuto: _What do I do!!!!????!?!!?_

Kuroo: _Shit. Sorry Bro. I don’t think there is anything you can do. You just gotta carry on and be best man._  
Kuroo: _Also... As if you didn’t know it was her when you met her on the plane. And wasn’t she wearing a ring? What’s that about._

Bokuto: _LEAVE ME ALONE! WE NEVER MET BEFORE! AND I DIDN’T NOTICE THE RING!_  
Bokuto: _God I’m such an IDIOT!_  
Bokuto: _Everyone should just abandon me and I shouldn’t be a cop because I’M THE WORST!!!_  
Bokuto: _Why are all the good ones already dating my friends. (ಥ﹏ಥ) (ಥ﹏ಥ) (ಥ﹏ಥ)_

Kuroo: _I’m so sorry bro. I really didn’t see that coming. But Akaashi’s your friend so you gotta get over it somehow and move on._  
Kuroo: _Besides, you barely know her anyway. I bet when you get to know her more, you will realise that she’s not that great. You probably put her up on a pedestal._  
Kuroo: _Also, from now on, make sure the woman is 100% single before you catch feelings._

Bokuto: _But, why didn’t she say anything about the engagement. She had plenty of opportunities to say something. (ಥ﹏ಥ)_

Kuroo: _She was wearing a ring though right? She probably thought that was enough and that it would be rude to tell you to stop talking to her. That would be such a meme thing to do. I hate it when girls go “I have a boyfriend!” when your just tryna be nice to them. Like, I’m literally a gay man, I’m not trying to hit on you._  
Kuroo: _Also, wasn’t she scared of flying. She probably didn’t even realise._

Bokuto: _At least Akaashi is happy._

Kuroo: _Do you mean that?_

Bokuto: _Fuck off. Of course I do! I’m his best friend!_

Despite the stressful experience at the wedding expo, Y/N was happy that she knew someone who lived in Tokyo whom she could call a friend. As surprised as she was that Bokuto turned out to be her fiancé’s best friend, she was incredibly thankful that is was him. Bokuto was an amazing and kind man, and he always managed to brighten her day. She wasn’t sure if she could handle things if the best man in her wedding also had it out for her, like Akaashi’s parents.

Y/N was already exhausted before the wedding planning even began. A mixture of the stress from travelling, the demand of a new job, settling in to a new home, a new country, language, not having her friends and family nearby, all made life a little more difficult. 

Y/N’s new job was a promotion, so being ‘Developmental Editor of Fiction’ of the sister company that she worked for back home, meant she was in the same publishing building as Akaashi again; who kept his role as an editor for a Shonen Jump Magazine. They got to see each other for lunch most days and discuss the pressures of the wedding. Neither of them wanted to take the planning home with them, because it felt more like work than their actual work did. Not to mention that their relationship had been a little rocky since the wedding expo; though Y/N estimated the cause to be their combined stress levels. The pressure from Akaashi’s overbearing parents were affecting both of them.

Roughly a week or so after the wedding expo, the betrothed couple had had enough of the planning stresses, and made the executive decision to postpone all planning of the wedding until they were comfortably settled into their new lives in Tokyo. 

Mr and Mrs Akaashi were excessively angry to hear about the delay and they tried to kicked up a big fuss, but it had no effect. At some point after the expo, the stress of it all weighed on the betrothed couple more than the stress of keeping the melodramatic parents happy. Cousin Ichika and the wedding planning would have to wait.

***

The 20th of September had arrived; Bokuto’s birthday. Two weeks had passed since he last got to see Akaashi and Y/N in person. Fortunately, this gave time for Bokuto to somewhat get over the shock of his bad luck with women, thanks to extensive pep talks and discussions with Kuroo.

For his friend’s birthday, knowing that Bokuto loves to show off and be the centre of attention, Akaashi didn’t hesitate to contact their mutual friends to invite them to a celebratory gathering. Kuroo and his long term boyfriend Kozume Kenma, alongside Akaashi and Y/N, gathered at a barbecue restaurant, under their reservation with the rest of their party, awaiting the birthday boy’s arrival. 

Bokuto was a little sad to hear that a number of his close friends (Daichi, Bambi, Asahi and Suga) were unable to make it, on account of them all having busy adult lives, but the birthday celebration did give him an opportunity to see some friends that he hadn’t been able to catch up with in a while; Shouyou Hinata, Hitoka Yachi and Tsukishima Kei. 

Shouyou Hinata was Bokuto’s short, ginger haired, equally energetic friend, who was two years his junior. They had met back at a high school volleyball training camp and Bokuto had adopted the ‘Chibi-chan’ as his personal volleyball student underling.

Hinata brought along his high school sweetheart and long term girlfriend Hitoka Yachi, who was tiny in comparison to the giant-volleyball-player-height of most of the men that surrounded her. She was very relieved to have another girl to talk to when she spotted Y/N at the reserved table.

Adopted by Bokuto in the same fashion as Hinata, was the contrastingly giant and antagonistic Tsukishima Kei, alternatively known as ‘Tsukki’ by his volleyball friends. The slim built blonde with black frames, refused to let anyone celebrate his birthday, falling in the following week, and maintained a disinterested persona despite his friend’s (mostly Kuroo’s) teasing.

Bokuto was the last to arrive and the moment he entered the restaurant, the smell of the barbecue filled his nostrils and a string of drool dripped down his chin that never seemed to leave, no matter how many times he wiped it away. Barbecue meat was his absolute favourite food and he knew he would have to thank his friends profusely for setting up the perfect birthday celebration. Every time a plate of food passed, on it’s way to another table, his golden eyes took the shape of stars and his mouth salivated even further.

“Meeko has to buy the first round of drinks. Rules are rules,” called Kuroo. To his surprise, just as he finished his declaration, the first round of drinks appeared in front of the group, thanks to Y/N. She winked at him and then stood up in front of the seven other hungry looking people to say a few words.

“I just wanted to say something before everyone had a look at the menu. Firstly, Happy Birthday Bo! You’re a ray of sunshine and we wish you the happiest of birthdays. Cheers!” She paused for the round of applause aimed at Bokuto, who was seated next to her. “However, we can’t order our food just yet…,” whining could be heard from Bokuto and Hinata at that point. Y/N rolled her eyes and continued, “…because the kitchen is busy preparing the barbecued meat for the speed eating competition.”

“HECK YEAH! I WANT TO JOIN!” hooted Bokuto and he slammed a hand on the table top.

“MEEE TOOOO!!!” cried Hinata, who was always game for a challenge, and though smaller than everyone, could be just as gluttonous.

“Great! Bo, you’re already been signed up. It starts in 10 minutes. Hinata, you just need to fill out one of their forms. The competitors table is calling. Shall we?” She gestured for Bokuto to stand and accompany her to the large table with six seats lined up to face the rest of the restaurant. 

As they walked away, Kuroo made an observation about how the situation benefited him and his friends. “You know, if Bokuto is in the competition, that means he won’t be stealing all our barbecue meat for once. This has got to be the best and fairest way to go out to dinner with him,” Kuroo laughed.

Once Y/N took a seat at the competitors table, in between Bokuto and a random person, Bokuto looked at her like she had just grown a second head.

“Meeko? What ya doin’? Sitting here with me to cheer me on?”

“Pffft Please!” she scoffed. “I’m Meeko the trash panda, remember?! Food is my thing and I’m going to win this.”

“Oya, oya, oya! This is war, Meeko!”

“DON’T FORGET ABOUT ME! I WILL NOT LOSE!”

Akaashi, seated back with the rest of the group, muttered that they are all crazy to want to compete. “They’ll end up sick. How is this fun for them?”

“Hinata actually ate a pork cutlet bowl not too long ago, so I’m worried he might throw up!” stressed Yachi.

“I guess they are all the same kind of simple minded fool. Good one Akaashi. You got a girl who’s just like Bokuto.” Kuroo rolled his eyes and chuckled at his friend. They both watched as Bokuto and Hinata argued about who would win the competition.

Akaashi used that moment to correct his friend. “Actually Y/N is pretty smart. That’s why she got promoted to developmental editor. She told her company that she was moving to Tokyo and they were desperate to keep her on board, so they offered her the promotion at this branch.” Akaashi then turned to observe Y/N joining in on the argument between Bokuto and Hinata. He then sighed and added, “…though they are both kind of free spirits, I guess. And they’re both loyal and can be kinda sensitive. Damn... They are alike, aren’t they? Don’t tell Bo I said that.”

“Oh I wouldn’t dare. Trust me. He would take that information and run a mile with it. Could you imagine if he found out you admitted that Y/N is the female version of him. He’d lose his damn mind and his ego would explode.” Kuroo described with a disturbed face, visualising the repercussions in his minds-eye.

Bokuto yelled out to the group from the competitors table. “Hey Tsukki-poo. You should join us. You need to eat more protein, bro!”

“Do you want me to leave?” warned Tsukishima bluntly.

As the competition was about to start, the rules were explained to the crowd and to the six competitors. Three from Bokuto’s birthday group and three strangers, all of which looked like serious competitors. The competition was set for ten minutes and the person who ate the most plates of precooked and portioned barbecue meat, would be declared the winner. The prize being a gift certificate for the restaurant and a commemorative victory t-shirt. 

“I wish there were at least some vegetables here to break up all the meat,” Y/N muttered to no one in particular.

“Are you going to pull out Meeko? There’s no harm in coming in last place if you want to continue,” taunted a smug Bokuto.

“Glad you said that, so I won’t have to console you when you lose then,” she childishly retaliated.

“Ohohoho! Its sooooo on, Meeko! You’re totally going down!” Before Hinata could object to being left out of the war banter, Bokuto continued, “…you too shorty. Are you ready to learn from the master?”

“I BET HINATA THROWS UP!” chipped in Kuroo while waving some money in the air.

“No one’s going to take that bet Kuroo. That’s basically a give in,” The small voice of Kuroo’s boyfriend, Kenma, spoke up to contest the bet.

Hearing Kenma say out loud exactly what she was thinking, Yachi became extremely nervous that Hinata might die from overeating… or choking, or poisoning. Being an especially anxious girl, her mind was creative with worry.

Hinata, seated at the end of the competitors table, heard Kuroo and noticed that no one was game enough to take on his bet. “Oh, come on! You’re breaking my heart here! You all think I’m going to throw up?”

“Excuse me waiter, can we get a bucket for the short one to throw up in. Sadly, Tanaka’s crotch isn’t here for Hinata to be sick on,” teased Tsukishima, referring back to a particular incident from high school.

“Easy there, Tsukki, or shrimp will aim it at you,” teased Kuroo.

“You don’t think I’m going to throw up right, Yachi?” Hinata was looking to his girlfriend for at least one person to support him.

Yachi bit her lip with a bashful expression, betraying the faith Hinata had in her to back him up. “I’m Sorry. But if it makes you feel any better, I’ll probably throw up watching.”

“YACHI WILL THROW UP FROM WATCHING! WHO’S GOING TO TAKE MY BET!” Kuroo waved some money in the air again.

Surprisingly, Tsukishima took the bet from Kuroo. “What? Don’t look at me like that. I just think that Yachi’s probably used to Hinata eating like a fat ass by now.”

The competition, to the spectators, went by in a flash. For the competitors, the last minute of competition felt like it was dragging on forever. They shovelled barbecued meat into their mouths while hoping that their stomachs don’t explode. The judges kept count of the finished plates and announcements were made in intervals, commentating on who was in the lead at certain points throughout the ten-minute challenge.

In the end, Bokuto won against the five other people. Too full of barbecue to jump excitedly, he threw his arms into the hair and cried, “HEY, HEY, HEY! I AM THE GREATEST MAN ALIVE!” He was applauded then handed his gift certificate and the commemorative t-shirt.

Even though Y/N ended up stopping with a minute to spare, because she thought she was going to throw up, she still finished in third place. Hinata didn’t do as well, probably due to his recently consumed pork cutlet bowl, and took fifth place; however, he didn’t throw up and neither did Yachi, so Kuroo handed over the cash to a smug Tsukishima.

After the kitchen resumed taking orders for the rest of their patrons, Bokuto bounded with a full belly, over to Akaashi, who was busy talking to a man on an adjacent table. “AKAASHHIII!! DID YOU SEE!”

“Yes, Bo,” Akaashi added flatly, irritation only slightly visible because his conversation had been interrupted. “But I didn’t see the whole thing because I was talking to…,” he gestured to his conversation partner.

“Hey there. Is this your boyfriend then?” the man greeted, then asked Akaashi.

“Hmm? Oh, no that’s Bokuto. He’s just a friend.”

“Ummm excuse me. You mean BEST friend.” Bokuto complained at Akaashi for not introducing him with his proper title. He was a little offended and didn’t understand what was so interesting about the man that made Akaashi not watch the whole competition. Before Akaashi delved back into his conversation with the stranger, Bokuto continued, “Uhh, Akaashi. I just wanted to say thanks for organising all of this. This is a pretty cool birthday and you’re the best!”

“Oh, no. Bo, Y/N organised this. I mean, I invited the people because she didn’t know any of them, but it was her idea.”

Bokuto’s heart started to beat faster. “She... she organised this?” His hand clenched the fabric over his heart and glanced over at Y/N who was mid conversation with Yachi.

“Yeah. She actually entered you both in the eating competition in advance. I told her that she didn’t need to participate too, but she’s just as wild as you are I guess.”

Bokuto blushed, thinking about how Y/N was thoughtful enough to plan this event, not to mention that she remembered he loves barbecue. She even took part in the competition, which made it all the more fun. He had to push down the reoccurring thoughts that made him think Y/N could be his soulmate. Never in a billion trillion years would he ever do anything to jeopardise his friendship with his best friend Akaashi.

Feeling like his emotions were too obvious on his face, Bokuto cleared his throat and made a joke. “Akaashi, you love me so much that you went and found the female version.” He then smacked him on the arm to punctuate the comment.

Akaashi flashed Bokuto a sceptical look, sighed and then went back to his conversation with the other man, who also had momentarily resumed a conversation with the group he had come with.

Y/N, who had taken a seat next to Yachi after the competition, overheard the exchange between Bokuto and Akaashi. Whether it was her built up emotions from stress, or from being uncomfortable after eating copious amounts of barbecue, a slip in confidence prompted her to think, _‘After all this time, I’m not actually sure I’m Keiji’s type.’_   
She felt a little pang in her chest as she observed the way Akaashi was smiling in his conversation. She hadn’t had many chances to see Akaashi properly smile because they had been arguing more than normal recently. She felt somewhat jealous that he was able to seem so cheerful in conversation with a perfect stranger, and not with her.

“You doing okay, Y/N? You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders,” Yachi asked with a more than necessary amount of concern in her voice, considering they just met. In actuality, Yachi’s concern actually made Y/N feel a little better. Even though she was feeling sorry for herself, and things were stressful at the moment, Akaashi actually had a wonderful set of friends. They made her feel welcome and apart of the group; like she had been their friend all along.

Not wanting to bring the mood down, Y/N responded with as much truth as she cared to reveal at that point in time. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just feeling a little ill because of eating too much barbecue. I’ve never done anything like that before.”

As Bokuto waltzed over, he heard Y/N’s comment and proceeded to be thoroughly impressed. “Wow, Meeko! You did so well!... And Akaashi said that you planned the whole thing! Thank you. Really. That’s really thoughtful of you. You’re the best!”

“It was no trouble. Oh and Bo! I forgot. I brought you a mini gift.” Y/N laughed as she reached over to her bag and pulled out a small box, wrapped in yellow striped paper. “Here.”

“Meeko. What did you do? You didn’t have to get me anything!” He took the box and turned it over in his hands to appreciate the way the paper had been delicately wrapped.

“It’s nothing special. Really, Bo. I just thought it would be funny for after the competition.” 

His expression communicated just how touched he was by the sentiment. Not wanting to let his emotions get the best of him, he cleared his throat and ripped open the paper. “Mint-chocolate pocky? Meeekkkoooooooooo! You remembered I liked them!”

“Oh course!” Y/N laughed as she was pulled into a bruising hug by the tall birthday boy. “I actually thought it would have been funnier if you threw up and then I gave you pocky to freshen your breath. It’s a shame you didn’t get sick!” she teased and then elbowed him in the ribs after pulling out of the hug.

“Why you gotta do me like that, Meeko,” Bokuto complained light-heartedly. “But thank you. That’s actually really nice. You pay more attention to me than my stupid best friends... Hey Kuroo!” he yelled.

“Shut up, Bokuto!”

“I HAVEN’T SAID ANYTHING YET!” Bokuto then rushed over to Kuroo to yell at him further.

Y/N laughed at her friend’s antics and then drifted her eyes back to her fiancé, studying the warm expression aimed at someone else. She decided to go over and join in on his conversation so that she could at least be a part of his happiness. However, once Y/N sat next to Akaashi and rested her head on his shoulder, his conversation partner started to fidget in his seat. The man frowned and excused himself to the bathroom.

“Was it something I said?” Y/N joked, but she actually felt excluded and a little hurt. All she wanted was to be a part of whatever was making her fiancé so happy.

“I’m sure it wasn’t you.” Akaashi reassured her as he twisted his body back to the conversations happening at his own table. 

Feeling a little insecure and wanting some comfort from him, Y/N wrapped her arms around Akaashi’s middle and nuzzled her head into his shoulder as she wriggled her chair a little closer.

“You’re affectionate today,” commented Akaashi. Y/N just hummed in reply.

Bokuto, who had finished yelling at Kuroo, joined Y/N’s side once more, by taking the seat on the other side of her. “I don’t think I could eat anything else for about a week.”

“Bokuto, you literally have a pocky in your mouth as you’re talking.”

“This doesn’t count though.”

Y/N laughed and Akaashi rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, the man that Akaashi was talking to before, called out from the restaurant doorway to say goodbye to him. Akaashi quickly jumped out of his seat to politely bow, and said goodbye as well. In consequence, Y/N’s resting head was dropped off his shoulder, she lost her balance and hit the ground between the two chairs.

Everyone in the immediate area gasped and Yachi cried out to see if she was dead or not. Bokuto quickly pulled her up and checked over her to make sure she was okay. “Oh my god! Meeko. Are you alright?”

Akaashi turned back around to face Y/N, mortified at what happened and with an apology on the tip of his tongue, but Bokuto pulled her into a standing hug. Y/N groaned a little in pain before she squeaked out, “eghh. I hit my funny bone on the chair.”

“Y/N, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” Akaashi stroked Y/N’s shoulder and she pulled out of the hug from Bokuto to face her fiancé.

Akaashi’s deep blue eyes switched between Y/N, who was nodding at his question, and Bokuto who was mouthing something to him.   
_‘HUG HER!’_

Akaashi sighed deeply and pulled Y/N in for a hug, which she gladly accepted considering it was all she wanted to begin with. Akaashi wasn’t a very affectionate person, but Y/N was. So she burrowed her head into his chest and he loosely wrapped his arms around her. 

Pulling away too soon, he leaned back to ask if he should locate an ice pack for her elbow.

Y/N looked more disappointed in the situation than anything. She mustered up a soft reply of, “no thank you,” then moved to sit down next to Yachi once more. She felt embarrassed that everyone saw her fall, embarrassed that it was so hard to get affection out of her fiancé, and embarrassed that she couldn’t hide her hurt.

Yachi must have picked up on the sombre expression on Y/N’s face because she asked again, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Before she could think twice about what she was saying, her emotions had taken over, Y/N quietly began to answer Yachi’s question. “It’s just Akaashi…” Realising the near slip of her tongue, she slapped her hand over her mouth with wide eyes. “Never mind. Forget I said anything! It’s nothing.”

Lucky for Y/N, their conversation was cut short the second Yachi noticed Hinata rush past their group at high speed, in the direction of the bathroom while covering his mouth.  
Yachi, forgetting about their heart-to-heart entirely, started to overreact and scream something about calling an ambulance because Hinata was probably going to die from throwing up.

Kuroo tried his best to calm Yachi down as Bokuto went to the bathroom to check up on his Chibi-chan volleyball protégé.

“Classic Hinata,” snickered Tsukishima with a condescending smirk, amid the chaos of the restaurant.

Next Chapter: Closets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter and I’m sorry about the undertones of hurt. I’ll try my best to bring out the next chapters faster so that you don’t have to stew in the situation.  
> PS: Did I use ‘whom’ correctly? HAHAH  
> ٩(๑`н´๑)۶


	4. Closets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N and Akaashi need to go to set a date for the wedding, but someone's having second thoughts.

Chapter Four: Closets

Akaashi is without a doubt, a good man. He’s respectful, kind, patient, loyal and hardworking. While he may not be easy to read, or wear his heart on his sleeve like a lot of people he knows, he definitely cares.  
Having been raised by such stern parents, he hadn’t learnt the tools needed to be able to express his emotions as easily or as often as he should. So instead, he became the kind of man that showed his devotion through his actions. If the people he loved were ever in trouble, he would help them out in a heartbeat. Being analytical in his thinking, he would jump into action using logic and reasoning to fix their problems. It was his way of showing how much he cared for the people he loved with the tools that he had.

Y/N was fully aware of this, and after being together for just over two years, she was certain that she felt love for the kind hearted man.

_‘But aren’t there different kinds of love.’_

From working in the publishing industry since graduating university, Y/N had read her fair share of love stories and fictions with fairy tale endings. Up until recently, she was certain that the love she read about in those stories were just that; stories.  
_Exaggerated romance._  
_Fiction._

Romantic writers tend to neglect the gritty and/or mundane sides of loving someone. So, Y/N was inclined to believe that the _‘love’_ they wrote about was inflated for the sake of plot. It wasn’t one hundred percent real. Kind of like those ‘hack’ videos that can be found on the internet, which promise amazing results, but actually skip important steps and involve video editing trickery.  
Everyone has flaws and it is unrealistic to expect people to fall totally head over heels _‘in love’_ with someone, just like they do in those dramatized narratives.  
It was Y/N’s belief that it would be too risky to give up something perfectly pleasant (like her relationship with Akaashi), in the hopes of finding something with the same intensity of the all-consuming-fiery-passion that is found in those unrealistic stories.

_‘But what if it could be real?’_

While sceptical in nature, Y/N was still an emotional sucker for romance. She couldn’t help but contemplate the possibility of maybe, if she looked hard enough, finding proof of the ‘exaggerated love’.

Y/N begun to wonder if her scepticism had held her back and influenced her to settle for something that she deemed ‘realistic’. What if her theory about ‘realistic love’, is actually the thing that is limiting her potential for love; leaving her stuck at a level for those happy with just being safe and comfortable.  
Safe and comfortable like it was with Akaashi.  
Their physical relationship had always been pleasant enough, though not as frequent and as earth shattering as how writers would describe ‘passionate love’. Especially since they had moved to japan. The pair started to act more like roommates than a couple who were recently engaged. 

Thinking about it all, Y/N’s mind began running around in circles of doubt, seeded by insecurities. 

For her own piece of mind, in an attempt to test her doubts and determine their level of affection, over the last couple of weeks Y/N had tried some new things that she thought might get Akaashi’s attention. She aspired to influence Akaashi to look at her in a way that would, in her mind, confirm that he was truly in love with her. Though if she were honest with herself, she wasn’t exactly sure what that would look like.  
She’d bought new undergarments that were spicier than what she would normally wear, she put more effort into her appearance and tried to be more physically affectionate, all the while stressing over every detail. Unfortunately, Akaashi hadn’t been responsive to any of it in the way that she hoped he would. There was a little nagging voice in her head that for whatever reason, fed her new suspicions, that she immediately tucked away out of fear.

This planted more doubt in her mind; but a toxic kind of doubt that allowed the negative side of her mind to eat away at her confidence. She felt ugly. Not just ugly in appearance, but ugly in the way she saw her own nature and character.

She admitted to herself that she felt completely jealous during Bokuto’s birthday barbecue, when Akaashi hadn’t been paying attention to her. However, admitting that fact, had made her feel worse than the jealousy did. She didn’t want to be the kind of woman who was desperate for attention.  
Y/N hated the way she needed affection from her partner to feel valuable and validated. She didn’t want to be the kind of person who relied on others to lift her up or give her value.  
She hated the way that she tried so hard to make Akaashi look at her with a kind of hunger in his eyes that he had never shown her before. She didn’t want to act like a selfish person. She didn’t want to be a clingy or jealous person.

The negativity eating away at her confidence didn’t allow herself to see that her feelings had grown out of neglect. It wasn’t her fault that she felt those emotions, and while those emotions could be considered pessimistic, they were real and they were valid.  
Y/N needed her partner to love her and make her feel special. She needed affection and emotional validation. She needed to feel things from Akaashi that would give her piece of mind that she was enough for him.

It wasn’t her fault. On the other hand, it wasn’t Akaashi’s fault either.

_‘Maybe Akaashi, isn’t actually ‘IN LOVE’ with me.’_

She thought about the words ‘in love’. The succession of those two little words, took the sentiment to a whole new level. Love could be just ordinary love between friends or family. Platonic, or a type of strong romantic like. However, Y/N new that when the words _‘in love’_ were used, it only ever meant love with _passion._  
Being _‘in love’_ meant you were _in, within, surrounded_ and _mixed up_ with the feeling of love. Being _‘in love’_ is a feeling that is meant to consume your soul and crowd your senses. Being _‘in love’_ has your planets shifting and your centre aligning with the person whose soul reaches out to you, never wanting to part. Saying the words _“I’m in love with you,”_ carries significantly more weight and promise, than a simple every day, _“I love you.”_

She thought about the language she would use with Akaashi, and she knew that the words _‘in love’_ didn’t really apply to them. There wasn’t the passion that went hand in hand with being _‘in love’._

***

It had been roughly one month since the wedding expo and Mr and Mrs Akaashi had thrown a tantrum for the last time. They convinced the engaged couple to visit the Akaashi family home so they could plan, and at the very least, set a date for their wedding. They had thrown all sorts of guilt trips at the couple, ranging from, “your grandmother will die at any moment,” to, “the longer you put it off, the longer you will have to wait to have kids.” In the parent’s mind, that latter was of great concern. They kept reminding Y/N that she “won’t be young forever” and that “you can’t have children out of wed-lock”, though she wasn’t surprised that that was their point of view on the matter. It was pretty on brand with the rest of their values.

A mid-autumn Saturday afternoon was when the couple was scheduled to arrive the Akaashi’s family home, but before they did, Y/N needed to speak to her fiancé and get something heavy off her chest.

“Keiji, can I talk to you?” Y/N took a seat on their living room couch, twisted her engagement ring and fidgeted with her fingers; a habit she had picked up from Akaashi.

She received a hum of recognition from Akaashi as he cleaned the lenses of his glasses.

“Okay. Ummm…” the nervousness in Y/N’s voice piqued his interest. So, he put his glasses back on and sat on the couch next to her. “Do you think there is a difference between _loving_ someone and being _‘in love’_ with someone?”

The average person wouldn’t really be able to tell that Akaashi was thrown off by Y/N’s question, but he definitely was. He scrunched his brow and thought for a moment about what she could have possibly meant. “I’m sorry, I don’t know.”

Y/N regrouped with a deep breath and rephrased her question in a way that might be easier for him to understand. “You know how people say ‘like-like’ instead of just ‘like’ to describe deeper feelings of like.”

At that point, Akaashi was visibly lost. He had no idea what she was talking about or where she was going with it. He waited patiently for her to explain further.

Y/N had to bite her lip hard, forcing it not to wobble with the bubbling emotions that were just barely under the surface. “Keiji, I love you. You’re my best friend.”

She took a breath and Akaashi drew some conclusions based on her tone. “But…?” He prompted her, confident that there was a ‘but’ coming.

“Umm, well. I’m just wondering if you’re actually IN love with me.” 

Before Akaashi had the chance to reiterate that he wasn’t sure what she meant by that, Y/N took another deep breath and continued.  
“I know we were kind of thrown together after your parents pressured you to propose to me, and even before then I’m not exactly sure if we could call what we had as two people _‘in love’_ …. But maybe more along the lines of two people who were comfortable with each other enough to spend all their time together. And I certainly love you. I just think you can be a bit mysterious some times and it can be very hard to read you. I’m not exactly sure how you feel about me and we never really talk about it. I know you don’t really like talking about emotions as it makes you feel uncomfortable, and I’m not sure if it’s because there is something wrong with me that makes you not look like you’re _‘in love’_ with me, or if it’s me expecting too much and being a brat who wants more attention or something…. But… god I’m rambling like an idiot… I’m just…” 

The words spewed out of her mouth at such a pace that it left her short of breath. She needed to get it out. “I’m just wondering if you want to marry me because you are actually _IN love_ with me, or if you’re doing it because it seems like the correct thing to do, and are just going along with what might be the ‘next step’ in our relationship. I just want to know if you want to marry me because you’re in love with me, or if it’s just because you’re comfortable with me and needed to pick someone because of your parents.”

Y/N was out of breath and wasn’t sure when tears started to stream down her face.

Akaashi stayed silent as he scrunched his hands into the fabric of his pants. Thoughts churned in his mind as he tried to absorb all that was just said. Looking down at the way his long fingers scrunched under the pressure. He then nodded his head slowly, not making eye contact with Y/N.

“You’re nodding your head. What… what does that mean.” Y/N’s panic could be heard from the stutter in her question.

“I think I get what you mean… You’re right, Y/N…” He flattened his sweaty palms and ran them over his knees to smooth out the scrunched up fabric. “I have been thinking similar kinds of things lately…. I’m sorry.” Akaashi finally looked up into Y/N’s glossy eyes and it broke his heart. He really did love Y/N, but not in the way that they both knew would be reason enough to get married. He knew they had grown comfortable with each other out of safety. It would be scary to let go of each other on the hope that they could find something better. They were both confused about their relationship, but they didn’t want to be alone.

The inkling feeling Y/N had, but tucked away and tried to ignore, popped into her head once more.  
“Keiji,” she whispered in a quavering voice. “Is there a chance that maybe… and don’t take this the wrong way…. and know that I love you no matter what, you’ll always be my best friend… but is there a chance that you could possibly, maybe… kind of… not like women.”

Blindsided, Akaashi’s eyes blew wide as he stared at the wall opposite him, absorbing the heaviness of her question.

Akaashi didn’t often let his feelings show and Y/N didn’t think she could recall a time when he had cried, but in that moment, Akaashi looked just as wrecked as Y/N felt.

He made fists over his knees as he tried to steady his breathing. The action of squeezing his eyes shut, caused a to tear glided down his unblemished face. Leaving a track mark as if it was polluting his usual calm composure with sadness. He nodded and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”

Akaashi’s expression was invaded with shame, guilt and pain. It could be heard in his apology too. His voice raw with emotion. “I’m so sorry, Y/N. Fuck.” He set aside his glasses on the coffee table in front of them and rubbed his face as his words got caught in his throat.

If Akaashi’s heart had broken seeing Y/N upset, then Y/N felt a whole new level of pain at seeing him in such a state.

Realisation had stuck both of them that the time had come for Akaashi to be true to himself. That this conversation marked the beginning of the end of their two-year relationship.

Y/N was the first one to break up the sound of their gentle sobs. “Akaashi, I just want you to be happy. I do love you and you deserve to be happy.”

“No, I don’t.” Akaashi’s voice had never sounded less like Akaashi than it did in that moment. His voice unsteady and full of self-doubt. “I’m a fucked up person, and I dragged you into this. I’m total garbage. I’m sorry.”

Y/N slid across the couch to move closer to Akaashi and embrace him in a hug that she filled with as much tender love and understanding that she could.

Akaashi continued, “I swear I didn’t know when we got together. I didn’t actively try to waste your time and ruin your life. I’m really sorry, Y/N. I’m a fucking idiot. I don’t know what happened. There’s something wrong with me.”

Y/N held him close, tears still running down her cheeks. It was clear that Akaashi’s emotions had been building up because of this, much like her own. She ran her fingers though his messy black hair and kissed the side of his head. “There’s nothing wrong with you, honey. You’re not an idiot. Please don’t talk about yourself like that. You don’t deserve to be talked to like that.”

Y/N wasn’t prepared for their conversation to go like this. She wasn’t expecting Akaashi to be filled with so much emotion and guilt, but she knew that it wasn’t his fault. “Keiji,” she tried to get his attention and kissed the side of his head again in an attempt to comfort and sooth him. “I love you no matter what. There’s nothing wrong with not liking women. Truly. And I think we both kind of felt like we were playing it safe with sticking together anyway. We were both just kind of going through the motions, you know?”

Akaashi nodded his head and grabbed one of Y/N’s hands to squeeze.

“I think you are fucking perfect exactly the way you are. And while we maybe shouldn’t get married, please know that you’re not alone and I’m always going to be there for you.” She paused for just a moment to wipe her face before she asked her next big question, that she hoped would give her closure and invite Akaashi to open up about his feelings further. “Can I ask… do you… have a preference? Like, what I mean is are you…”

“Gay, you mean?” Akaashi anticipated her question. He rubbed his fingers over Y/N’s hand as if it was the most fragile thing in the world. He nodded his head again because the words he tried to speak, came out as a sort of whine noise. His eyes were tightly shut, but the tears still found a way down his face. 

Y/N felt a sizable mixture of emotions at this point. She felt sadness that her relationship was over. She felt fear from knowing that she would have to move on, move out and start from scratch. She felt silly for not addressing this situation before she packed up and moved to a new country. On the other hand, she felt a small sense of relief. Relief from having closure and a sense of understanding about her relationship and where Akaashi’s head was at. She could let all the toxic thoughts she had about herself, and why she wasn’t enough, go.  
But, most importantly, she felt guilt from feeling any of her other emotions while Akaashi was clearly not okay. She could tell that he was struggling with the internal conflict of coming to terms with his sexuality. 

She’d have to grieve later, because Akaashi was more important than that.

She felt useless from not knowing how to make Akaashi feel okay with himself. She tried her best to reassure him that there was nothing wrong with him, that he needed to be kinder to himself and that there was nothing to be ashamed of. Having met his parents, she could tell why he was struggling. They were not the most accepting people on the planet. Even though he had friends with all sorts of sexual orientations, and he accepted every single one of them, he couldn’t get his parents out of his head. 

“Fuck... My parents,” he sighed as if just remembering that he would have to explain the situation to them, knowing exactly how they would react. “Can we just cancel on them. I don’t want to see them today.”

“Keiji, I can deal with your parents if you like. I can handle them treating me like shit, but I will fight a bitch if they say a single bad thing about you,” and Y/N meant it. Akaashi’s parents were scary people, but she would do anything to protect him.

After a lengthy and tearful discussion, it was decided that getting Mr and Mrs Akaashi’s drama out of the way was their best option for cancelling the wedding. They were sure that Mr and Mrs Akaashi would not accept ‘relationship troubles’ as a valid reason for cancelling an engagement, so Akaashi bravely decided to come out. He wanted to get it over with like a band-aid, and he could do it if he had Y/N by his side to support him.

That afternoon they went to the Akaashi family home, and as a team they dealt with the parents. The meeting was entirely as melodramatic as they had expected. Mr and Mrs Akaashi yelled and immediately blamed Y/N for ‘ruining’ their son. Then they expressed disappointment in their son, and finally they blamed their own parenting for having him turn out in such a way. Arguing the entire time, Y/N proved to Mr and Mrs Akaashi that she had backbone.

Infuriated by their stubborn attitudes and bigotry, Y/N couldn’t stop herself from yelling, showing them her backbone that they hadn’t seen before. “THERE’S NO ONE TO BLAME! THIS ISN’T A THING TO BE UPSET OVER!”

She spiritedly told them that they were bad parents, not because Akaashi is gay (because he’s perfect exactly the way his is), but because they were not being accepting of their own son. She left them a lot to think about as she explained that they should love and be proud of their son, no matter who he loves. 

Y/N and Akaashi left them to stew in their thoughts and hoped that giving them space to think, might make them see things more clearly.

The pair returned home and talked all night. They laid amongst the blankets of their shared bed, surrounded by tear filled and snotty tissues. 

“Keiji, I know ‘they’ say blood is thicker than water, but that has got to be the dumbest fucking saying in the world. You can’t choose your family any more than you can chose who you love. Even if they don’t end up accepting of you, there are so many people who love you exactly the way you are. I know it sucks that were breaking up after so long, but I’m still proud of you. I hope you know that you’re never alone and you have family with your friends... and me. Unless… you think I should move back home?”

“Well, I know I would like you to stay, even if it is just as my best friend… that is if you’re okay with still being in my life.”

“Of course I’m okay with that. Don’t be silly. I’m always going to be in your life. Though I’m a little worried about Bokuto…”

“What? Why?”

“He’s going to be devastated when he finds out we’re not together and that I took his spot as number one best friend.” Y/N couldn’t help but giggle at her own revelation.

“I know you’re joking and that it’s stupid… but that actually sounds accurate.” Akaashi sighed. “I’ll call him in the morning and tell him that the wedding is off.”

“Are you going to tell him that you’re gay? Because you know he wouldn’t care about that.”

“Um, I think coming out to you and my parents is enough for now. I’m totally exhausted. Maybe I’ll tell him another day. Will you be okay though?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’ll get used to being single again. It’ll be weird but…” she shrugged in lieu of finishing her sentence.

“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”

“Hey, no. No it’s not. Even if you were straight, this probably would have happened. I think we were just both kind of pressured in to it. As much as I love you, I just don’t think we’re… you know...”

 _“In love?”_ He used air quotation marks.

“Yeah… exactly. It’s weird because, I read fiction about love and romance all the time, but I always thought that exaggerated junk was just... you know… fiction. But what if it isn’t, Keiji? What if we both need to look for someone that makes us feel like those stupid characters in those books, or those manga’s? You know, where they draw the love hearts for eyes and they say their hearts skip a beat. Stuff like that.” She chuckled softly then her face turned solemn. “Do you think we can find something like that?”

“Yeah,” he kissed her on the crown of her head comfortingly. “I think so.”

Y/N twisted the engagement ring still on her finger, and put it on the nightstand before they both dosed off.

The next day, they packed up some of Y/N’s stuff, as she decided it would be best to stay somewhere else until she found a new place to live. She could have stayed with Akaashi, but she thought it best to start moving on and accepting that they weren’t a couple anymore. Once she was absolutely sure that Akaashi would be okay, she left, knowing it would be healthier for them to readjust to being alone. 

She opted to stay in a hotel from Sunday night because she wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Finally by herself, the reality of everything caught up with her. As much as she was happy for Akaashi that he was beginning to accept himself, her world was crumbling and she cried herself to sleep.

Next Chapter: Post Break-Up: Keep On Movin’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not crying. YOU’RE CRYING!  
> (ಥ﹏ಥ)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading this story!  
> Comments and Kudos are super appreciated!  
> (•ө•)♡  
> If you scroll to the top of the page and click 'subscribe', you will get a notification when I post a new chapter!  
> Thanks a million!  
> -Goobergobbledoc.


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